The Wine Girl
by The Raccoon Goon
Summary: 100 themes, 100 drabbles, 100 words each, centered on Harvest Moon's most mysterious character: Aja.
1. Introduction

I was lonely, and so was he.

I had snuck into the old man's back field again, but this time it was different. Ordinarily, I had the place to myself, but somebody was there that day. A boy around my age was napping in the field. After I woke him, we played games and talked about anything and everything our little minds could think up. But when the sun went down, I discovered that he was from the city, only in town for vacation. Soon enough, his parents came to pick him up.

I was lonely, and he was gone.


	2. Complicated

_How is your father doing nowadays?_

"You're a disgrace!" he shouted. "I regret ever having you!"

The wine bottle shattered upon hitting the ground. Mom was sobbing in the other room, but yet did nothing to control her husband. I resisted the urge to shout back at my drunken dad.

But that was last night. Now his big arms enveloped me in a tight embrace. "I love you, Aja," he whispered into my dark hair, his tears moistening it in the process. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

How is he doing, you ask?

I suppose it's complicated.


	3. Making History

"Who's that?" I inquired.

The aging man chuckled, revealing his warm smile. "That's me!"

Confusedly, I search for the young man in the picture behind the gray hair and wrinkles of the man in front of me.

He placed me on his knee with feeble arms. "You know, I used to be in the army."

"Really?"

"You betcha," he replied. "I joined because I wanted to make history, but then I realized that it was pointless." He looked into my eyes. "It may not be the kind they'll write books about someday, but we make our own history every day."


	4. Rivalry

_I finally kissed a girl – a real kiss this time, not a peck on the cheek from Aja when we were little. Her name is Stacy, and her eyes are as blue as the summer sky. We were at a school dance, and neither of us had a date. I'm not her boyfriend yet, but I'd like to be. Maybe it was just a one-time thing, but I'm hoping that it becomes something more._

The old man lowers the crinkled, hand-written letter and grins. "Well, Aja, it looks like you've got some rivalry in the city to take care of."


	5. Unbreakable

"Well what if I did leave, then? Would it even matter to you at all?"

I never allowed myself to give in. I wouldn't let myself believe anything he said, and I never, ever let myself shed a tear. I never fought back, but that didn't make me weak. In fact, it was the very thing that made me strong.

His menacing, rampaging eyes locked dead onto mine. Without a second thought, he answered, "Not in the slightest."

No matter how many wine bottles and sentimental knickknacks my father broke, he could never break me. I was unbreakable.

Until now.


	6. Obsession

I crumpled the piece of paper in my hands. _How does she keep finding me?_

Every time I moved, my mother somehow located me and sent me letters pleading for me to return to Mineral Town. Once the letter was from her friend! It was like she had an obsession with trying to get me to come

Didn't she get it?! I clearly didn't want to go back to that crappy little town with its shitty people. I grabbed my pen before realizing it was useless. I didn't care what she said; I was never going back home. Ever.


	7. Eternity

"Aja," the heavy, balding man I called my boss addressed me, holding out the work phone. "It's for you."  
I sighed. _If Mom found this number, I swear..._  
When I picked up the phone, it was not my mother's voice I heard. Instead, it belonged to a man.  
"Aja?"  
"Yes? Who is this?"  
"It's Pete. I'm in Mineral Town. I just found out about... well, you know what. I was told this is how I could get to you. Why aren't you here?"  
After hearing that, I nearly dropped the receiver.  
Pete.  
I haven't heard that name in an eternity.


	8. Gateway

My hands trembled as I struggled to keep a grasp on my ticket. _There's nothing left for you here,_ I told myself. _Why are you so worried? _

I found that I couldn't answer my own question. I thought about what I was leaving behind. A cold stone, shattered glass, and the first sixteen years of my life. Nothing too remarkable there.

I heard a whistle, dragging me out of my thoughts. I glance towards the tracks and see the train draw nearer. _It's now or never._

With the same shaky hands, I pull myself up and into the train car.


	9. Death

I heard the dog's frantic barking as I sprinted as fast as I could towards the farmhouse. Getting closer, I saw Doctor Trent standing outside, watching as two men exited the house carrying a stretcher draped with a white cloth. Completely distracted, I tripped over a broken branch and fell to the cold, dirt-covered ground. I was too late.

Next thing I knew, I was drowning in a sea of black, both internally and externally. A bland, longwinded eulogy in the background, my eyes fixated on a smooth, shiny wooden box that could never fit everything that old man was.


	10. Opportunities

A symphony of honking cars and loud chatter behind me, I stumbled into the building, its top concealed by clouds. Upon entering, I requested an apartment. The lanky, acne-covered man asked for a down payment. I tried to explain I could never afford that when the manager appeared.  
Grinning, he informed me about a "buddy of his" needing another bartender. The pay would cover my rent and then some, and nobody had to know I was underage. I sighed. The big city had promised opportunity, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind. However, it was better than home.


End file.
